2022-100-Faces-Book - Flipbook - Page 82
Destiny
Animal lover. Groomer. Overcomer.
Destiny loves being around animals every day—so
much so that she’s decided to make a career out of it.
She’s training to become a professional groomer
through Crossroads Campus, a United Way partner
agency that leans on the healing bond of humans and
animals to help young adults overcome generational
poverty, inequity and trauma.
Destiny had been at Youth CAN working toward her
GED when she first connected with Crossroads. She
had a hard time finding support in high school and left
during her freshman year.
tailored to ultimately becoming a professional
groomer. This piqued her interest and she excelled in
this area of the job training program. She’s now the
lead grooming associate.
“That’s how it all started. You could add more money
to your paycheck because you get tips with grooming.
Then I decided I really liked grooming and wanted to
pursue that career.”
“It was really early mornings, and I didn’t feel very
supported in the high school that I went to,” she says.
“I was just having a tough time there. My freshman
year was really bad, and I got so behind. They told
me that I wouldn’t graduate with my class, so I just
decided to drop out and get my diploma elsewhere.”
Crossroads says transitioning to adulthood and
independent living can be daunting for anyone,
especially young people who are working to overcome
poverty and homelessness. That’s why they offer
affordable housing through a residential program,
which Destiny is a part of. Young adults share a fourbedroom apartment while they work toward specific
education, career or housing goals and build a sense
of community.
While finishing up her HiSET, Destiny started working
at the Crossroads Pets Shop & Adopt Pet Retail Store,
running the register, pricing inventory and working with
customers. What she loved, though, was the time she
spent caring for animals waiting to be adopted.
“Before Crossroads, I was living with my mom and
the house just got too crowded,” she says. “We went
from a three-bedroom to a two-, and it was just a lot of
people living there. I didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t
have enough space.”
“I was learning how to take care of the animals and
learning different behaviors and tactics to help them,”
she says. Many of the animals have experienced
neglect and trauma.
Because of her hard work at Crossroads, Destiny now
has a stable income and is working toward a career
she’s passionate about.
Then Crossroads asked if she’d like to spend even
more time with the animals and help with grooming.
Through Crossroads Grooming Social Enterprise,
Destiny was able to learn and master specific skills
“I’m doing the job that I love, and I get to be around a
lot of animals. That’s really great.”
Crossroads Campus
